Needle-free intravenous ports and connectors allow repeated infusions of fluids into a patient's bloodstream without the need to reinsert a needle into the patient's skin each time. The ports typically include a septum mounted to an end of a housing, such as a conventional luer housing, to provide medical personnel a relatively simple means of introducing medicinal agents into the bloodstream without requiring repetitive needle injections. However, use of these ports can create contamination problems as a result of providing an exposed surface that is contacted by an insertion device, i.e., a male luer taper, when a connection is formed on the port.
Accordingly, the use of needle-free intravenous connectors can result in an increase in the number of bloodstream infections that may be attributed to contamination of the connector at the time of the fluid infusion. This increase in the number of bloodstream infections can be attributed to contamination of the ports and/or connectors by airborne sources and also can be the result of direct handling of the components.
Various techniques and procedures have been proposed for preventing contamination of the port and/or for disinfecting or sterilizing the port. For example, medical practitioners use cleaning methods that typically involve the application of a disinfectant prep pad to the port's septum surfaces. A proper cleaning and disinfection procedure requires that the septum of the needle-free intravenous port be properly cleaned and disinfected by permitting adequate time for the antiseptic to kill microorganisms prior to accessing the needle-free intravenous port. However, it is difficult to ensure that consistent performance of the cleaning procedure is practiced each time the port is accessed.
Additionally, various cleaning and cap devices have been proposed for use with intravenous ports. Such cleaning and cap devices are typically small, on the order of the size of a luer connector, and can present certain tactile challenges during handling and installation on the port.